Blog
Lucy's Story
Content warning: child sexual abuse. A former Christian Scientist describes being sexually abused at age five, her mother’s response, and her later work with survivors.
Rachel's Story
Content warning: child rape. A fifth-generation Christian Scientist describes rape at age four treated as never having happened, childhood illness, anorexia, and recovery.
Sexual Abuse & Assault Resources
Hotlines and support organizations for survivors of sexual assault and abuse, with a note on how Christian Science can leave people feeling isolated and alone.
Born Perfect
A former Christian Scientist describes waiting and praying from age twelve to twenty-five for puberty and a first period, until a doctor found she was born without ovaries.
Women's Health Resources: Menstruation, Sex & Menopause
A list of books and websites on menstruation, sex, fertility, pregnancy, and menopause, grouped by age and life stage.
My mother did not tell me about menstruation.
Former Christian Scientists describe growing up without being told about menstruation, and being taught that periods and cramps were error to be prayed away.
I was the beneficiary of dumb luck.
A former Christian Scientist recalls childhood coughs and earaches treated only with prayer, and a retired trauma counselor’s verdict that this was neglect.
I was really struggling with the injustice of having this Error-fuelled injury
An anonymous contributor describes a pulled muscle in childhood, a mother who offered no help beyond Christian Science, and a PE teacher who explained how to recover.
My mother’s response: "It’s like you've given up."
A former Christian Scientist recalls a severe teenage sunburn treated only with prayer, and their mother's reaction that they had given up.
I imagine what my mother would have done and then do exactly the opposite
A former Christian Scientist raised in the UK recalls untreated ear infections and a mother afraid of social services, and how it shapes the way they raise their son.